After medical scare, Deltona Trinity Christian player returns to field Friday

Deltona Trinity Christian's Bobby Brzozowski returns to football after weeks of failing eyesight

September 5, 2013|By Alicia DelGallo, Orlando Sentinel

DELTONA — For three days last month, Bobby Brzozowski did not know whether he would see again.

The world was as dark as the black on his Deltona Trinity Christian football uniform, the result of an infection in both eyelids. As Brzozowski lay in a bed at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, the unknown swirled around him.

"I was like, 'What am I going to do if I'm blind for the rest of my life?'" Brzozowski said. "I tried to keep my mind off it."

When Brzozowski (pronounced Burr-zow-ski) returns to the field as a senior two-way lineman Friday night when the Eagles (0-1) play at Pierson Taylor (0-1), he will do so with clear vision after also dealing with vascular abnormalities in his right eye.

The vascular issues included signs of an aneurysm that had burst and a condition where small arteries are twisted instead of straight.

"Literally the doctor said he would never play football again, and the second time he went, they said they can't find anything,'' coach Chris Dorminey said. "We're excited. We believe in God, and we believe He's looking out for us and our football team.''

Beyond contact inherent in football, playing is not without risk for Brzozowski. Doctors are unsure what caused the vascular abnormalities, but they have told the family they could have been congenital, caused by the infection or from head trauma from Brzozowski's 12 years of playing football.

Brzozowski never has been diagnosed with a concussion, said his mother, Shannon.

"More than likely, he's not going to have these symptoms again," Shannon Brzozowski said.

"Honestly, if they had came back and told us that the symptoms were definitely neurological and related to head trauma, then we would have said, 'OK, you're definitely done. There's no discussion.'"

What would Bobby do if his symptoms, which involved double vision and issues with depth perception, returned?

"I'd feel pretty stupid," said Brzozowski, who practiced for the first time Tuesday.

"I was worried [about not playing again], but football's really my life. It's in the back of my mind, but I keep it there because that's when you start getting hurt, if you start second-guessing yourself."

Brzozowski, whose brother, Jordan, also plays for Trinity Christian, said his desire to play outweighs any potential risk. He has taken some precautions, including not lifting weights as often as before and limiting drills in practice.

"It was a miracle from God," said Brzozowski (5-10, 210 pounds).

Brzozowski will return to the ophthalmologist in 3-4 months and continue to play his final season of high-school football if his condition remains stable.

If not, he gladly will hang up his cleats.

"It's a really weird thing being in a dark place," he said. "That's all I saw, and really, seeing people's faces is nice."